As Jun and the elder made their journey back to the spirit garden, the elder suddenly spoke.
"Do you have questions for me?" the elder asked.
"May I ask how I should address you, elder?" Jun asked.
"My name is Lucille, so call me Elder Lucille from now on."
Jun nodded.
"Is that all?" Elder Lucille asked.
Jun thought for a moment before asking.
"Why did you take me in, elder?"
Elder Lucille didn't answer immediately.
"Well, it is actually a selfish decision of mine."
Jun stared at Elder Lucille.
"You see, while I was out on a mission a few years ago, I stumbled upon a small treasure, and in that treasure I found a cultivation technique called the wood body spiritual technique."
"What does that have to do with me, Elder?" Jun innocently asked.
"Hahahahahaha," Elder Lucille laughed as they walked.
"You will know soon."
...
Elder Lucille and Jun finally arrived at the foot of the Spirit Garden Peak.
"We welcome the elder," a line of Spirit Garden disciplines greeted Elder Lucille.
Elder Lucille smiled at them, and he gestured for them to go back to what they were doing.
"Follow me, kid," Elder Lucille said to Jun.
Jun followed elder Lucille back to his wooden cabin.
Jun scanned the unassuming wooden cabin.
"Is it too shabby?" the elder asked.
"No, Elder, it looks great," Jun quickly answered, afraid he might make Elder Lucille mad.
"Hahahahaha, no need to lie; I requested it to be made this way. You see, for an old man like me, what use is a grand house?" the elder explained.
After their quick conversation they both entered the wooden cabin, and to Jun's surprise the inside of the cabin is spotless with wooden furniture and some pots of plants that just sproutedfrom a seed, and on a table nearby there is a book containing pictures of different plants.
"Take a seat, young man." The elder gestured for Jun to take a seat at a nearby stool.
Jun quickly took a seat and waited for the elder's further instructions.
"The reason I brought you here is to offer you an opportunity," Elder Lucille said while sitting on the opposite side of Jun. Jun felt the seriousness of Elder Lucille, so he immediately composed himself in front of the elder.
"Take a look at these." The elder put two book manuals in front of Jun.
Jun stared at them.
"On the left is the cultivation technique of my spirit garden, and every member of this peak practices it, including me," the elder explained.
Jun quickly read the title of the cultivation manual.
"Nature Spirit Nurturing Manual"
"It is a cultivation technique that is suited for those who have a wood attribute spirit root; it can be practiced till the tier 8 and is one of the treasures of the Thousand Pill Pavilion," Elder Lucille said.
Jun took a big gulp when he heard the elder's words. Tier 8 is the cultivation level of the current strongest person in the Thousand Pill Pavilion, and if Jun practices with the Nature Spirit Nurturing Manual, he will have a chance to gain the same level of cultivation as the strongest cultivator of the Pavilion.
"The one on the right is the treasure I gained from one of my adventures outside, the Wood Body Spiritual Technique that I mentioned earlier."
Jun's attention was caught by elder Lucille's words; he then turned his gaze on the right.
"This is also a cultivation technique suitable for those who have a wood attribute spirit root, but the thing is that it requires the cultivator to have water and earth attributes as well; although it is not necessary, it will still bring an advantage when practicing this technique. Although your spirit root has four element attributes, it is still worth a shot," Elder Lucille explained.
"Elder, what is the limit of this technique?" Jun asked, since the technique provided by the Pavilion reaches the tier 8, he is curious about the Wood Body Spiritual Technique's cultivation limit.
"The technique can be practiced till tier 8, but there are special qualifications in this technique. It is fine not to accomplish them, but if you did, you will be able to practice this cultivation technique till you reach the Supreme Lord level." Elder Lucille's words were like a bomb suddenly dropped on Jun's mind; he just stared at the cultivation technique in front of him.
"If this cultivation technique is as good as you said, why won't you practice it?" Jun asked in confusion, Which cultivator wouldn't want to reach the level of a Supreme Lord?.
"Although I have read the manual hundreds of times, I have no way of verifying if its contents are real or not, and if I divulge this technique to others, I might invite a calamity for myselfand the Pavilion," Elder Lucille explained.
Jun nodded.
"That is why I need someone to try and practice this cultivation technique for me to verify if it's legitimate. Do not worry; if you decide to practice this technique, I will provide you with cultivation pills that you will need to reach tier 2, but that is it. If I provide more, it will be against the rules of the Pavilion. How about it?" Elder Lucille asked.
"Elder, can I take a few minutes to decide?" Jun said.
"Of course, this is about your future, so take your time," the elder said and smiled.
Jun then started contemplating the advantages and disadvantages.
After a few moments he came up with a decision.
"Elder, I decided to practice the wood body spiritual technique.there are doubts about its legitimacy, I decided to risk it, since cultivation is an act against the heavens anyways," Jun said resolutely.
"Good kid, now take this manual, keep it safe, and make sure no one will learn of its existence, or you might invite trouble for yourself and me." Elder Lucille handed Jun the copy of the Wood Body Spiritual Technique manual and called a disciple to lead Jun to his living quarters.
"Take our new member to his quarter and orient him about his duties and the rules of the Spirit Garden.
"Yes, Elder," the disciple said and bowed towards Elder Lucille. Jun copied the disciple, and they then left the room.
Elder Lucille watched Jun's back as they left, and he heaved a sigh of relief. The elder felt relieved that he finally found someone brave enough to try the new cultivation technique; he has approached countless disciples, but it is to no avail—no one wants to try their luck with an unknown cultivation technique.
...
Jun is now inside his new living quarters; it has a bed, a study table where he can read, and a cabinet to store his things. The room is simple, and all the necessities are here, but they have to share a common bathroom, and there is also someone who keeps watch over them since they are still kids, and along the way the spirit garden disciple explained the rules to him and his future duties.
Since they are still young, they do not need to work yet; they will only receive their sect duties when their cultivation reaches tier 2, and before that, their only focus is to train their bodies and study the cultivation techniques and other relevant knowledge regarding cultivation and the cultivation world.
Jun, sitting on his bed, decided to open the box given to new disciples.
It contains two sets of green-colored robes, which are the uniform of the disciples of the spirit garden. Every peak and department has their own color of uniform; the spirit garden peak is green, the protector peak is red, the alchemy peak is white, and for the departments outside the three peaks, the color of their uniform is black.
The box also contains two manuals and twelve bottles of spirit pills; Jun checked the two manuals.
Introduction to grade 1 spirit plants and the Spirit Plant Nurturing Manual.
When Jun inspected the bottles of spirit pills, he saw a piece of paper attached to it.
"These ten bottles of spirit pills are the first batch of cultivation materials that I promise you. Work hard and good luck." Jun read the letter, and as he guessed, it is from Elder Lucille; normally, new disciples only receive two bottles.
Aside from those things, there are also some miscellaneous items.
After tidying up the contents of the box, Jun decided to go out of his room to meet the new disciples just like him; he decided
that it was the perfect moment to be acquainted with them.